The Spring Girl
by Frog-chan
Summary: My very first story. Sorry for the extremely short prologue; don't worry, there will be longer submissions. I hope you like it, thank you for reading this if you do.
1. Prologue

_**The Spring Child**_

_Prologue: The Child of Spring_

…

I stood there, watching my parents argue.

"Why can't you let Haruko do what she wants?"

"Because, it's for her own good! If we let her run off again like that, then who knows what could happen to her?"

Both of them sounded frustrated, but the one that was the most frustrated was me.

I slowly crept out of the kitchen, and opened the door outside, wanting to get away from the drama. Temporarily.  
I started towards the creek that was near our house, watching all of the cars drive by, thinking of all of the inventions that humans made, and I stared at the hard, gray road.

It disgusted me.  
I felt sick to my stomach. I decided to go to the forest nearby. I lived in Japan, so I loved all of the wildlife that inhabited this country. I reached the sign, and it read:

**AOKIGAHARA**

**WARNING: DEATHS AND SUICIDES OCCUR HERE OFTEN.**

I sighed at the sign, already being aware of this. I have been here more than once, this definitely not being my first.  
I took my first step into Aokigahara, not expecting what I would encounter this time.


	2. Chapter 1

_**The Spring Girl**_

_**(Note: Listen to this while reading for the best experience. Thank you. watch?v=K9lwLau-mbQ )**_

_Chapter 1: Aokigahara, the Sea of Trees._

As I wandered into the forest, I became lost in thought. I pondered while walking aimlessly, thinking over my life. The sound of the mixture of dirt, gravel, and old bones felt somewhat nostalgic to me. Remembering that i've been walking through Aokigahara since I was little, oddly enough, I still do not know the ins and outs of it.

A few minutes later, evening transitioned into night. I assumed that I had been in the heart of the forest, but i'm probably wrong. I knew nothing. Staring at the empty, black sky, I continued walking through. I thought about all of the corpses that inhabited this forest, but I didn't seem scared. I didn't seem to mind, either.

…  
"...!?"

I tripped over a large tree root, and began to tumble down a large hill filled with spiky plants.

Slowly getting up, I examined myself for any injuries. It seemed that only my clothes were now slightly tattered.

I continued to wander through what now seemed to be the lower part of the forest, wondering where I was going exactly.

An odd sight was found. A notebook, lying on the ground near a tree.

I ran towards it and picked it up, opening it to the first page. It stated:

"_My life is worthless... they are coming for me, and it was pointless to go on anymore... Aokigahara is my resting place, and it is the resting place for other hopeless souls like me... they are coming... they are coming for all of us. All of us will die. Everyone will perish. No survivors. None. 0. Well... if someone found this notebook, just be aware that you, too, are worthless. Goodbye, Aokigahara..."_

I closed the notebook, holding my chest. My heartbeat accelerated. Why would someone write something like this...?

I decided to bag it in my backpack, and continue moving. A Tanuki had passed by me, suprisingly. I always thought that this forest had no wildlife. Then again, i've never been in it at night.

I thought about the notebook again.

"...Who's they?"

I wondered to myself, but could not come up with who "they" could be.

The forest was oddly louder at night, the wind blowing through the tall trees. I was pondering too much, and I bumped into a wall of rock. Rubbing my head, I looked up and saw a mountain.  
Mount. Fuji? How did I get here?

I turned away from the mountain, wondering where I was. I was lost. Lost in Aokigahara, one of the worst places to become lost in.

My stomach rumbled. I fumbled through my backpack while walking, and pulled out a Bento lunch-box. I began to eat quickly, not wanting to stay in the same spot for too long. After I finished, I packed it up and then began to speed-walk with new-found energy.

After what had seemed hours on end, I reached... a cave?

I started towards a sign that read:

**NARUSAWA ICE CAVE**

**WARNING: DO _NOT_ ENTER! **

Curiosity overwhelming me, I entered the cave anyway. Immediately it was dark. I brandished a lantern from my backpack, and lit it. A small radius of light appeared around me, enough for me to see what was ahead. I saw bats on the cave ceiling as I continued through.

It began to get really cold. I saw ice on the walls and it started to get on the floor. I managed to avoid every part of the cave floor that had ice on it, lacking the desire of slipping.

Suddenly, a strange growl was heard in front of me. I shoved my lantern forward only to reveal a pack of wolves.

As if on instinct, I began running towards the light of the cave that I came from, my heart beating.

I started to pant loudly and frequently, trying not to slip.

Failing to accomplish this, I slipped on the ice and dropped my lantern.

It broke with a crackling sound.

My face hit the cave floor, knocking the daylights out of me.

I was in trouble.


	3. Chapter 2

**The Spring Girl**

_Chapter 2: Infirmière's Secret Hospital_

I saw a light-brown wood ceiling as I woke up in a bed. My vision was blurry, but then it adjusted itself.

A desk with various medical supplies and books caught my eyes. It was followed by a nearby chair, and a few windows. The bed I was laying on seemed to be completely white; including the pillow, blanket, and the cushioning.

Sitting up, I spotted a door right next to me. It opened.

"Oh, you're awake." said a feminine voice.

"..."

"It doesn't seem that you remember what happened. You were getting attacked by wolves, remember? I think you fainted, but I managed to fend them off while I carried you to my secret hospital."

The woman in front of me was noticeably in a nurse's outfit. Instead of being white, it was dark purple, and her hat had a red medical cross on it.

She looked as if she was in her early 20's.

"...Thanks for saving me." I said tiredly. Pain started to come to my arm, and I winced, grasping it.

"Oh? Did I not give you enough medicine?" She sounded as if she was teasing me, but she also sounded serious at the same time.

The mysterious woman brandished a small needle, and injected me in it. I gasped quietly at the sudden pain, but then it went away almost immediately, as if the medicine she was using was far advanced the regular medical knowledge in Japan.

"...Who... ARE you?" I stared at her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't probably introduce myself. My name is Infirmière. I am a nurse who has studied for 5 years."

"I see... … i'll just call you Miere, if that's fine with you."

"Now tell me, kid. Just how old are you?" She stared down at me, ignoring my decision.

"...I am 13 years old, my name is Haruko Yukionna, and I have a tendency to wander in Aokigahara."

"I asked for your age, not your life story. But I can tell you do. You almost got yourself killed."

She suddenly got closer to me.

Not expecting it, I flinched.

"Don't do that again."

I didn't even know this lady, but she was showing concern for me anyway.

"..."

"Now. What's the purpose of wandering around in a forest that's known for suicide?"

She took a seat next to my bedside, facing me. I noticed that when she sat down, the wooden chair creaked. Miere didn't seem to be fat, so I assumed that the chair must have been old or used for a long time.

"I don't know. I just feel calm whenever I roam through it."

I spoke in a quiet, but audible voice.

"Uh-huh. How are you calm when you almost got yourself murdered?"

My shoulders shrugged.

Miere shook her head. "I don't get you, child. Yet, you interest me."

She unpinned a sign from her wall, and shoved it in my face. I gasped almost immediately:

**MISSING**

**HARUKO YUKIONNA**

**If you have seen this child, _please_ contact this number: 295-169-9291**

**Reward: 10,000 yen.**

"Just how long have I been asleep...?"

"2 days."

"..."

"You haven't woken up for 2 days." She looked at me with slight sympathy.

At that, I noticed that I have not eaten for 2 days. My stomach started to grumble wildly at the realization, and I also felt really thirsty.

"U-um... may I-"

Before I could even finish, Miere pulled out a bowl of Fried Rice with chopsticks on the side, and she handed me a cup of milk.

"But how did yo-"

"I am a Nurse. I knew you would be hungry, so I prepared a little meal before-hand."

"Well...thank you."

I did not want to speak anymore. Scarfing it down in under 10 minutes, I wiped my mouth and then chugged my glass of milk. I was still slightly hungry, but now I could last longer.

"...For a girl, you eat like a pig."

"Only when i'm hungry."

She turned around in her chair, and sighed while staring out at the window. The moon was full, gleaming down through it, illuminating the lantern-lit room.

"I wonder how worried your parents are."

I glared at her. "Don't remind me of my parents. All they do is argue and bring my already brought-down spirits down even further."

"Hmph... so you've experienced that too, huh?" She side-glanced over her shoulder.

"I experience it all the time."

"A child as great as you should not experience such negativity."

Looking slightly concerned, she turned back to me.

"I would like to join you."

"Huh?"

"I would like to assist you in running away from your negative parents, and I would like to take you under my wing."

"..."

"What do you say?"

I felt reluctant at first, but then thought about it. I held out my hand, and she shook it.

"Deal."

Miere smiled. "Then I shall do so."

I got out of my bed and stretched, and then asked "How old are you?"

"I would be 22."

"Huh. You look like you are 18, though."

She chuckled. "Why, thank you."

We both smiled slightly, but then they turned into frowns quickly, followed by widened eyes.

Suddenly, a huge rumbling was heard outside. Miere quickly ran out and stared.

Following her outside, I looked at her face.

It was stunned with pure fear.

I looked over to where her glance was, and I saw it.

Mount Fuji.

Mount Fuji was erupting.


	4. Chapter 3

**The Spring Girl  
**

_Chapter 3: Escape route_

We both stared at the eruption in confused fear. The mountain was spewing out hot lava at quite a frequent rate. The lava rapidly oozed down the sides of it. Thick, black smoke was starting to form out of it, and it invaded the night sky, blocking out the moon and the stars. We did not seem to be the only ones who noticed. The nearby town of Gotemba was full of screams and the sound of running. Miere quickly ran into her clinic, grabbed some supplies that I could not make out, snatched my arm and then booked it. We were running through Gotemba now, the lava starting to roll down the nearby hill. It was burning up the trees with a fierce crackling sound as it gurgled it's way towards us.

"Where are we going!?" I panted, not being used to this.

"Ask questions later!" Miere seemed to be in a hurry. She let go of my hand now that I was manually following.

We nearly tripped over a nearby lamp that was knocked over as the lava edged closer. Some people were still rushing, a lot getting past us to the point where I almost lost track of Miere. I could barely keep up with her as her purple outfit flapped around. She didn't bother to keep it from doing so.

Before I knew it, I was right beside her, grasping my backpack straps with both hands. We soon left Gotemba after 10 minutes of constant running.

Miere started to climb a hill that seemed to about 20 feet tall.

Reluctantly, I followed her. My panting was extremely loud by this point.

"I had to slow down so you can keep up." She was teasing me, even in dangerous times.

"...You weren't going at full speed?"

"As a nurse, I must keep my own body healthy. If it wasn't, then that would be ironic."

We reached the top, and she helped me on the last step. I turned around and saw Gotemba being burnt to the ground by hot lava. I looked overhead, and saw Mt. Fuji finally starting to calm down. It spurted out one last stream of lava, and then it returned to it's normal shape, standing proud and tall. The smoke didn't seem to quit, though.

Looking back at Gotemba, my eyes saw no sign of death or corpses. Fortunately.

Miere sighed, pulling out a map of some sort.

On closer inspection, I just now noticed that she was carrying a medical bag, and her violet attire seemed to have more pockets than usual.

Standing up on my toes, I inspected the map that she was holding.

It seemed to have been a map of Japan, and it even included Mt. Fuji.

I held my chest, my heart beating from the traumatic event that has just occurred.

Miere seemed perfectly fine.

"Please explain how you are not traumatized right now?"

"Oh please. I've experienced much worse."

"Like what?"

"I will save that for another time."

She smiled weakly, and then went back to the map.

I eyed her oddly, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Let's see... the next town that's the closest here would be... Kawaguchiko."

At that, she rolled up the map, stuffed it back into one of her many pockets, and began to walk down the hill.

Staying beside her, I followed.

"I've never been to any town besides Kyoto and Gotemba..." I said.

"I am unfamiliar of this location as well."

Judging by the tone of her voice, her confidence didn't seem to be damaged in the slightest.

"What will we do when we get there?" I asked curiously.

Miere looked at me. "Hmm... most likely just buy any needed supplies and then find a hotel."

"...Oh."

Miere continued to walk down the hill.

Before following her, I looked down at Gotemba. The lava seemed to have burnt most of the homes, but the rate was slowly stopping.

At that, I started to walk down on my own. We walked in silence, running out of things to talk about.

After a solid 10 minutes, I broke the silence.

"...Soooo, what do you think Gotemba will do now?"

"It'll most likely take them a while to rebuild the homes. Besides, even i—"

She stopped in her tracks.

"...Oh. It looks like we're here already."

I looked ahead of us and almost immediately saw many bright lights as it illuminated the dread of the night.

Kawaguchiko seemed to be lively, despite the time of the day. We could see people walking the streets and many vehicles on the roads.

"...Um, Miere? How will we find a hotel in this big city?"

Miere looked at me as she started to realize it herself.

"...Honestly, um... no idea."

We stared at each other with dumbfounded faces.

"Maybe there's a big bright sign for a hotel nearby." She said as she tried to regain her confidence.

"Probably."

I saw her look to the right, so I looked to the left.

Seeing no hotel signs, I looked to her side to see if any was there.

There was.

She started towards it, and I followed behind her.

We reached the sidewalk and ended up having to cross the street, my anxiety kicking in, causing me to double check for any cars.  
Once we got there, I looked up at the hotel and stared in awe.

Kawaguchiko Hotel; Please enjoy your stay

Miere opened the door and took the first step inside.

I followed.

Inside was an average looking hotel that had all of the basic materials that you would expect from one.

Assuming it was a three-star, I followed Miere up to the reception desk.

Once she started to book our room with the desk lady, my eyes peered to the people in the lobby.

All of them seemed to be calm, but from different cultures. This made me guess that there was an airport nearby.

One man was playing his flute quietly in a corner to entertain some children.

I listened as hard as I could, and the song sounded somewhat familiar.

After a minute of thinking, I determined that the song was "Kagome, Kagome".

I kept listening, the nursery song feeling quite nostalgic.

As I was listening, a voice interrupted me.

"Come on."

"Huh? O-oh, sorry."

I followed Miere to the room, the key dangling from her hand.

She unlocked it and then opened it, revealing a rather large bedroom that contained 2 beds, a bathroom, a desk, a TV, and a window with a view.

Almost immediately, Miere slumped into one of the beds and yawned loudly.

"I just now realized how tired... I... ...a ...am... zzzz..."

She fell asleep without even covering herself.

With nothing else to do, I took the other bed and covered myself up, trying to get comfortable.

After 10 minutes of staring out the window, I yawned and ended up drifting into a deep sleep.


End file.
